1) The Attack on Pearl Harbor, By: Allison Lassier
This book starts out by introducing the events that took place before the attack on Pearl Harbor. In order to give the students some background information so they can understand the book better. The book is written in three different perspectives and the student can choose to be an officer in the Japanese navy, U.S. Navy Sailor, and U.S. Navy Nurse. If the student chooses to be a Japanese officer then it talks about why Japan wanted to attack the United States and how the plan was secret. If the student chooses to be a U.S. Navy sailor then you are stationed on the ship Arizona and it goes through what happened on December 7, 1941 when the attack happened and the book makes the student feel like they are experiencing the event all over again. Then there is the last perspective which is the U.S. Navy nurse and the book gives the nurses perspective and takes the students through what the nurses experienced on that day and how there were not enough nurses for how many of the sailors were injured and dying. I liked how this book is an easy way for the students to understand what the attack on Pearl Harbor was like. I thought that having the students read from three different perspectives would help the students understand more what each individual was experiencing on that day. I also like that this book has key terms that are important for the students to know in an easy to use glossary. There is also a website called “facthound” where the students can go to get more information on World War 2. The website directs the kids to other resources such as websites and books on the same topic. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely use it in the classroom.
2) World War 2, By: Elizabeth Raum
This book was also another interactive book that would be engaging for the students while studying the main events of World War 2. This book is a choose your own path book just like “The attack on Pearl Harbor.” The three paths that the students could choose between are: fighting the Germans in the Netherlands, they can join the Canadian Military, or join the United States armed forces. Each path that they choose has a different ending, the person that they choose could end up dead or surviving. This book keeps the students engaged as well as teaches the students about history and they get to see three different perspectives.
3) Who was Anne Frank, By: Nancy Harrison
This book discusses the life of Jewish girl named, Anne Frank, who was raised during the Holocaust and the struggles that her family faces. It starts off saying where and when Anne Frank was born and how her family has to leave their hometown in Amsterdam when Hitler and his Nazis invade. Her family escapes and moves to the Netherlands, which eventually is overtaken by Hitler as well. Anne receives a diary on her Thirteenth birthday and this book discusses how she wrote in the diary everyday while her family was in hiding in the secret annex. Her family was forced into hiding when her sister, Margot, was sent a notification of being wanted by the Nazis. Her family was in hiding for two years before the Nazis did find their hiding place and took everyone who was hiding in the annex to a concentration camp. Anne died at the age of fifteen and everyone in her family but her father, Otto, was killed during world war 2 as well. After she was killed her Dad took her diary and now her diary is what we know as, Anne Frank, The diary of a young girl. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and feel fifth graders would enjoy this book as well. This book was easier to read than the original Diary of Anne Frank, but included all of the information that I would want my fifth graders to understand. I really liked that this book explained important people, symbols, and events that were important in order to understand what was going on in the story.
4) Number the Stars, By: Lois Lowry
This book is a novel that takes place during World War 2 when the Nazis are invading different countries and sending the Jewish inhabitants to concentration camps. The story focuses on a brave girl named Annemarie who grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark. The little girls has a best friend named Ellen, whose family is Jewish. One night the Nazis decided to invade their hometown, so Ellen's parents must make a decision on what to do. Annemarie's family decides to hide Ellen in their home and Ellen's parents go into hiding with other friends. After hiding for a day or two Annemarie's family helps Ellen escape to a boat, which took the Jews to Sweden to escape from Hitler's Nazi soldiers. The story mainly focuses on Annemarie and her bravery and loyalty to her friend Ellen I beleive the students will enjoy this book, because it is about a girl their age and they can relate to the problems that she faces with grwoing up. This book will create interactive and engaging ways to incorporate different reading activities as well as focusing on the Holocaust for the social studies standard.
5) Remember Pearl Harbor:American and Japanese Survivors tell thier stories, By: Thomas B. Allen
This book discusses first the events of Pearl Harbor and states the dates of the events and the different people that were involved. The book is divided up into chapters by the different events and the different storiesthat survivors are telling. There are five different survivors who tell their story. These five people are: Yuji Akamatsu, who was an aircraft petty officer for Japan, Clark Simmons, who was a survivor from the ship Utah, Madelyn Blonskey, who was a nurse in the army, Kichiji Dewa, who was a first class petty officer for the Japanese army, and George Smith, who was aboard the ship Oklahoma. The main theme that the students should understand from this book is that each person, no matter whose side they were on, wanted peace instead of war. I think this is an excellent book that engages the students and allows them to understand how different people felt when the attack on December 7, 1941 occurred.
6) Eyewitness Book: World War 2
This book is an informational book that discusses the different events, people, and symbols of World War 2. This book is in the order of the events of World War 2. This book is broken down by the different events of World War 2. Each page in the book has a subtitle that tells the student which event of World War 2 that is described on that page. This book will help the students when visualizing the different people involved in the war, as well as the different symbols that were associatedwith each part of the war. For example there is a page that is about the German Nazis and the book has the different symbolsthat represented the germans as well as a picture of their leader Hitler. I really like this book because of how the book is presented with the subtitles as well as all of the pictures that are shown on each page.
1) The Attack on Pearl Harbor, By: Allison Lassier
This book starts out by introducing the events that took place before the attack on Pearl Harbor. In order to give the students some background information so they can understand the book better. The book is written in three different perspectives and the student can choose to be an officer in the Japanese navy, U.S. Navy Sailor, and U.S. Navy Nurse. If the student chooses to be a Japanese officer then it talks about why Japan wanted to attack the United States and how the plan was secret. If the student chooses to be a U.S. Navy sailor then you are stationed on the ship Arizona and it goes through what happened on December 7, 1941 when the attack happened and the book makes the student feel like they are experiencing the event all over again. Then there is the last perspective which is the U.S. Navy nurse and the book gives the nurses perspective and takes the students through what the nurses experienced on that day and how there were not enough nurses for how many of the sailors were injured and dying. I liked how this book is an easy way for the students to understand what the attack on Pearl Harbor was like. I thought that having the students read from three different perspectives would help the students understand more what each individual was experiencing on that day. I also like that this book has key terms that are important for the students to know in an easy to use glossary. There is also a website called “facthound” where the students can go to get more information on World War 2. The website directs the kids to other resources such as websites and books on the same topic. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely use it in the classroom.
2) World War 2, By: Elizabeth Raum
This book was also another interactive book that would be engaging for the students while studying the main events of World War 2. This book is a choose your own path book just like “The attack on Pearl Harbor.” The three paths that the students could choose between are: fighting the Germans in the Netherlands, they can join the Canadian Military, or join the United States armed forces. Each path that they choose has a different ending, the person that they choose could end up dead or surviving. This book keeps the students engaged as well as teaches the students about history and they get to see three different perspectives.
3) Who was Anne Frank, By: Nancy Harrison
This book discusses the life of Jewish girl named, Anne Frank, who was raised during the Holocaust and the struggles that her family faces. It starts off saying where and when Anne Frank was born and how her family has to leave their hometown in Amsterdam when Hitler and his Nazis invade. Her family escapes and moves to the Netherlands, which eventually is overtaken by Hitler as well. Anne receives a diary on her Thirteenth birthday and this book discusses how she wrote in the diary everyday while her family was in hiding in the secret annex. Her family was forced into hiding when her sister, Margot, was sent a notification of being wanted by the Nazis. Her family was in hiding for two years before the Nazis did find their hiding place and took everyone who was hiding in the annex to a concentration camp. Anne died at the age of fifteen and everyone in her family but her father, Otto, was killed during world war 2 as well. After she was killed her Dad took her diary and now her diary is what we know as, Anne Frank, The diary of a young girl. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and feel fifth graders would enjoy this book as well. This book was easier to read than the original Diary of Anne Frank, but included all of the information that I would want my fifth graders to understand. I really liked that this book explained important people, symbols, and events that were important in order to understand what was going on in the story.
4) Number the Stars, By: Lois Lowry
This book is a novel that takes place during World War 2 when the Nazis are invading different countries and sending the Jewish inhabitants to concentration camps. The story focuses on a brave girl named Annemarie who grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark. The little girls has a best friend named Ellen, whose family is Jewish. One night the Nazis decided to invade their hometown, so Ellen's parents must make a decision on what to do. Annemarie's family decides to hide Ellen in their home and Ellen's parents go into hiding with other friends. After hiding for a day or two Annemarie's family helps Ellen escape to a boat, which took the Jews to Sweden to escape from Hitler's Nazi soldiers. The story mainly focuses on Annemarie and her bravery and loyalty to her friend Ellen I beleive the students will enjoy this book, because it is about a girl their age and they can relate to the problems that she faces with grwoing up. This book will create interactive and engaging ways to incorporate different reading activities as well as focusing on the Holocaust for the social studies standard.
5) Remember Pearl Harbor:American and Japanese Survivors tell thier stories, By: Thomas B. Allen
This book discusses first the events of Pearl Harbor and states the dates of the events and the different people that were involved. The book is divided up into chapters by the different events and the different storiesthat survivors are telling. There are five different survivors who tell their story. These five people are: Yuji Akamatsu, who was an aircraft petty officer for Japan, Clark Simmons, who was a survivor from the ship Utah, Madelyn Blonskey, who was a nurse in the army, Kichiji Dewa, who was a first class petty officer for the Japanese army, and George Smith, who was aboard the ship Oklahoma. The main theme that the students should understand from this book is that each person, no matter whose side they were on, wanted peace instead of war. I think this is an excellent book that engages the students and allows them to understand how different people felt when the attack on December 7, 1941 occurred.
6) Eyewitness Book: World War 2
This book is an informational book that discusses the different events, people, and symbols of World War 2. This book is in the order of the events of World War 2. This book is broken down by the different events of World War 2. Each page in the book has a subtitle that tells the student which event of World War 2 that is described on that page. This book will help the students when visualizing the different people involved in the war, as well as the different symbols that were associatedwith each part of the war. For example there is a page that is about the German Nazis and the book has the different symbolsthat represented the germans as well as a picture of their leader Hitler. I really like this book because of how the book is presented with the subtitles as well as all of the pictures that are shown on each page.